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4.1.8 Disruption of Adoptive Placements

Also see Chapter on Placement for Adoption Procedure

  1. Where an adoptive placement breaks down between introductions and the granting of an Adoption Order, a Disruption Meeting will be held to identify the reasons for the breakdown and to learn lessons from the events surrounding the breakdown.  An Adoption Review should be held after any placement disruption to review the plan for the child.
  2. The Disruption Meeting will be held no sooner than 28 days after and no later than 42 days after the placement breaking down, and will follow a set agenda.
  3. Where the placement had already been made, the Adoption Team manager will arrange for the meeting to be chaired by an independent person, i.e. an experienced practitioner or manager from outside the Adoption Team and not involved in the line management of the case responsible social worker.
  4. Where an Introductions Plan is terminated before the adoptive placement takes place, a manager from the Family Placements Service will chair the meeting, unless it is considered by the Adoption Team manager that an independent person should be appointed.
  5. The Disruption Meeting will be convened by the social worker linked to the adopters, who will invite the prospective adoptive parents, the child's social worker, the current carers and any other relevant people.  The child's social worker will ensure that the child's views and feelings are given to the meeting in the most appropriate way unless it is appropriate for the child to attend.
  6. The Disruption Meeting will consider the child's needs and whether the adoption plan for the child remains appropriate, the existing arrangements for contact and whether they require amendment, the arrangements for meeting the child's health and educational needs and whether any changes are required to assist the child's development.  If it is considered that adoption is no longer in the child's best interests, the adoption plan will need to be rescinded by the Adoption Panel.  Where the child is subject to a Placement Order, the meeting should also consider the need to seek revocation of the Order.
  7. The child's social worker and the prospective adopters' link worker should attend the Adoption Panel to present a report from the Disruption Meeting.

    The Adoption Panel should also receive copies of the Panel minutes recommending the adoption plan for the child, the prospective adopters' approval and the placement, to enable learning points to be shared.

    The child's social worker should contact the Panel Administrator to book a date for the Adoption Panel to consider the matter and 13 copies of the relevant documents should be sent to the Panel Administrator 14 days before the Panel meeting.
  8. In all such cases, the Adoption Panel may consider whether the plan for the child should be reviewed and/or whether the prospective adopters' approval should be reconsidered, and these issues may need to be further investigated and reports be presented to a subsequent meeting.

 

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